Trans-Am System
The Trans-Am System (or Trans-Am) is a feature of both the GN Drive and GN Drive Tau that temporarily increases their GN Particle output beyond normal parameters for greatly enhanced combat performance. The system is featured prominently in Mobile Suit Gundam 00. It also appears in the Gundam Build Fighters series and Gundam Build Divers, utilized by Gunpla based on GN Drive powered mobile suits. System Description & Characteristics The Trans-Am system was originally drafted by Aeolia Schenberg to grant Celestial Being's Gundam Meisters full utilization of their GN Drives and was a secret feature hidden inside the black boxes of the five original GN Drives. Because of this, the first and second generation Gundams never had the chance to utilize Trans-Am as the pilots didn't even know that such a powerful function existed; however, it was later possible for Fereshte since they were still in possession of a GN Drive when Trans-Am was enabled. The system itself was rigged to unlock by a system trap inside Veda that automatically executed itself once Aeolia was killed. Under normal operation, a GN Drive generates particles at a preset rate while excess GN Particles are stored inside the GN Condensers. When Trans-Am is activated, GN Drive operates at a higher output and all of the compressed high-density GN Particles accumulated in the mobile suit are fully released, enhancing the machine's thrust and defensive capabilities as well as allowing it to perform at three times its normal output for a limited time.1/100 GN-001 Gundam Exia Mode manual The GN Particles surrounding and within the mobile suit also begin to glow red, making the entire machine appear reddish. Furthermore, afterimages are generated when the mobile suit executing Trans-Am is moving. It is said that a single Drive with Trans-Am activated is superior than three Drives that are not using the system.Gundam 00 2nd Mechanics book One example that attests to this is Trans-Am Seravee being able to push the three-Drive Trilobite in battle rather easily. When it was originally unlocked in 2308, the Trans-Am System was usable by Celestial Being's Original GN Drives due to specific equipment that was only loaded onto them.Gundam 00 1st Mechanics - Drive Comparison Page Because of this, it can be safely presumed that any of their GN-based machines or equipment cannot use the system unless it was linked to the GN Drive. This appears to have changed by 2312 however as equipment not linked to the GN Drive was seen to be able to enter or stay in Trans-Am even after the Drive is disengaged or without the Drive ever being connected.Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Season 2 Episode 22 "Anew Returns"Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Season 2 Episode 13 "Assault on Memento Mori"Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Season 2 Episode 14 "I Can Hear a Song"Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Season 2 Episode 23 "Flower of Life"Mobile Suit Gundam 00V Senki Chapter 4 "0.03 Seconds" One of the best observed examples of this is Cherudim's GN Shield Bits entering Trans-Am during the battle against Gadess despite not docking with Cherudim first as well as later on during the final battle where the Ptolemaios 2 used the system despite not having GN Drives aboard. 00 Gundam later was also capable of using Trans-Am even when it was only equipped with Large GN Condensers.Mobile Suit Gundam 00 The Movie -A wakening of the Trailblazer- All these situations heavily suggest that Celestial Being reversed engineered the system from the Original GN Drives and integrated it into their mobile weapons and their equipment. Because one of the functions of the Trans-Am System is to increase particle generation rate of the GN Drive, a big disadvantage of not having a GN Drive equipped would be the lack of being able to harness this increased particle flow which would lead to decreased power or operation time. While useful or even decisive when used at the proper time, Trans-Am comes with several drawbacks that makes it a "double-edged sword." Once activated, Trans-Am gradually drains the mobile suit of all its GN particles and once the unit's GN particle supply is depleted, the GN Drive must replenish the aforementioned GN particle supply in conjunction to a temporarily lower particle generation rate from the GN Drive. Until the particle supply is replaced, the unit will perform at a dramatically reduced capacity. This leaves a MS extremely vulnerable to any remaining opposition once Trans-Am ends. The activation time limit of Trans-Am is short and not fully known. However, the 00 Raiser is depicted to have a Trans-Am time limit of 3 minutes when not battling.Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Season 2 Episode 11 "00's Voice" For reasons that are unclear, the system is usually forcibly deactivated if the mobile suit suffers some damage while using it,Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Season 1 Episode 24 "Endless Poem" (Nadleeh vs GN-Xs/Alvatore)Mobile Gundam 00 Special Edition 3: Return of The World (Seravee vs Gadessa/Garazzo) however activating it while the mobile suit is damaged appears to be fine in most cases.Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Season 2 Episode 25 "Rebirth" (Cherudim vs Gadessa, 00 Raiser vs RebornsMobile Suit Gundam 00 Season 1 Episode 25 "Setsuna" (Kyrios vs GN-Xs) This seems to suggest that some amount of physical stress to the mobile suit while Trans-Am is in use would be enough to deactivate it but only if the damage is sustained while the system is in use. While the system remained exclusive to Celestial Being for a while, it was later reverse-engineered and adapted by the Earth Sphere Federation and the Innovators. Performance-wise, the GN Drive Tau's Trans-Am was shown to be able to hold its own against an Original Drive's Trans-Am. However, a large weakness of the GN Drive Tau's Trans-Am is that the drive destroys itself during/after usage, essentially leaving the mobile suit without a GN Particle generator and reliant on reserve particles in order to escape. While this is known to be the case for the 2312 Tau Drive models, it is unknown whether the problem was rectified or not by the year 2314. Pushing the GN Drive Tau's Trans-Am System too hard also runs the risk of overloading the GN Drive Tau and potentially causing the suit to self-destruct in a massive explosion,Mobile Suit Gundam 00 The Movie -A wakening of the Trailblazer though no situation observed so far has this happening without the pilot willingly using Trans-Am for that purpose. It should be noted that the Earth Sphere Federation and the Innovators developed Trans-Am separately.gundam00.net TV Series MS Profile - Susanowo While the Innovators developed their Trans-Am from stolen Celestial Being data, A-LAWS technical engineer Billy Katagiri created an imperfect version through notes left behind by Ralph Eifman.Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Season 2 Episode 14 "A Song Is Heard" Billy finally managed to obtain the Innovators' more potent Trans-Am System (which was copied from Celestial Being) after he finished developing the GNZ-004 Gaga series for them.Unidentified Sourcebook According to Ian Vashti, Innovation is caused by the GN Particles' special state in Trans-Am. He theorized that it may be possible that this special state of GN Particles can even be felt regardless of range, and that more possible genuine Innovators have awakened as a result of the Trans-Am Burst that Setsuna used during the final battle with the Innovators.Mobile Suit Gundam 00 S2 Episode 24 BEYOND In addition, he is also worried that the Earth Sphere Federation will notice its relation to Innovation now that it possesses Trans-Am as well.Mobile Suit Gundam 00V Senki Mission 4 "0.03 Seconds" System Variants *Quantum System *Trans-Am Raiser System **Trans-Am Burst System History Activation The Trans-Am system was first revealed in 2308. This occurred after Alejandro Corner killed Aeolia Schenberg and activated a system trap inside Veda, which then unlock the system hidden inside the black boxes of the 5 original GN Drives. Trans-Am activated within GN-001 Gundam Exia while it was battling Ali al-Saachez and his GNW-002 Gundam Throne Zwei. The Exia's new abilities allowed it to clearly outclass the Zwei, forcing al-Saachez to flee. Ralph Eifman's Legacy In the four-year interim between the first season and the second, and during the events of 2312 AD, Billy Katagiri recovered and researched what Eifman was working on before his death concerning the GN Drives and their ability to utilize topological defects, which gave them a near-limitless energy supply. After much toiling, he was able to successfully replicate one feature: the Trans-Am system, first applied to Graham Aker's GNX-U02X Masurao, allowing him and it to fight on even footing with the GN-0000+GNR-010 00 Raiser. However, it had some serious drawbacks that is not present in the Original Drives in which case each usage destroys/seriously damages the Tau Drive and forcing the pilot on remaining Condenser supply for retreat after usage.DX Mechanics March 2009 Issue Innovators Development Unlike A-LAWS, the Innovators obtained their Trans-Am System by copying the data from the Ptolemaios 2's databanks via Anew Returner.HG 1/144 GNZ-005 Hilling Care's Garazzo This system came to light separately from Billy Katagiri's version on the GNX-U02X Masurao, and Billy soon upgrade it after obtaining Celestial Being's copied system from the Innovators.Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Season 2 Episode 18 "Entangled Yearnings" This technology was applied Revive Revival's GNZ-003 Gadessa, Hiling Care's GNZ-005 Garazzo, Ribbons Almark's CB-0000G/C Reborns Gundam and their GNZ-004 Gagas. Federation Widespread Adoption By 2314, Trans-Am technology has been introduced to regular Federation forces to the point that it is considered standard equipment on the newest generation of GN Drive Tau machines. While it is still used for enhancing mobile suit performance when needed, Trans-Am is also used on Tau Drive equipped ships for extreme long distance journeys and as a last resort self-destruct as well. Whether any of the major flaws in using Tau Drives have been rectified remains unclear. Pics Gallery gundamdo2129.jpg|Exia's chest GN Condenser in Trans-Am mode Exia Trans-Am.jpg|Trans-Am Exia using GN Beam Sabers in twin sword fashion Gundam 00 - 25 - Large 18.jpg|Trans-Am Exia pulling out GN Beam Sabers gundamdo2308.jpg|Trans-Am Virtue Burst Mode Gundamdo2412.jpg|Trans-Am Gundam Nadleeh 82bb12ce8f9948c3122965717ee60ae31226641808_full.jpg|00 Gundam's Trans-Am Mode 00.jpg|Trans-Am 00 Gundam charging ahead mobile-suit-gundam-00-second-season-10.jpg|00 Raiser's 1st Trans-Am Trans-Am Masurao.jpg|Trans-Am Masurao ep21_12.jpg|Trans-Am Susanowo ep14ss52.jpg|Seravee & Seraphim in Trans-Am engaging Garazzo 1235290766172.jpg|Cherudim engaging Gaddess 1237109105019.jpg|Gadessa & Garazzo in Trans-Am Trans-am_Gaga's_Army_in_00_S.E.jpg|Trans-Am Gaga Forces animerawkidousenshigundam002ndseason25raw1280720divx68524fps-0031.jpg|Damaged Trans-Am Reborns Gundam 00raisercondtransam.jpg|00 Raiser Condenser Type Trans-Am Harute.png|Trans-Am Harute destroying an ELS raphaeltransam.jpg|Raphael in Trans-Am ZabanyaandHarutetransam.jpg|Zabanya and Harute Trans-Am Trans am buster rifle.png|00 QanT about to fire its GN Buster Rifle Trans am.png|00 QanT Trans-Am before activating Quantum Burst Brave (Commander Type) Trans Am.png|Brave (Commander Type) Trans-Am Amazing Exia 08.jpg|Trans-Am Amazing Exia (Gundam Build Fighters) GN-006-SA Cherudim Gundam SAGA (Type.GBF) (Battlogue 04) 05.jpg|Trans-Am Cherudim Gundam SAGA Type.GBF (Battlogue 04) GN-0000DVR Gundam 00 Diver (Ep 02) 02.jpg|Trans-Am 00 Diver (Gundam Build Divers) Ogre GN-X (Episode 02) 07.jpg|Trans-Am Ogre GN-X (Gundam Build Divers) GN-0000DVR-S Gundam 00 Sky (Ep 15) 09.jpg|Trans-Am Infinity 00 Sky (Gundam Build Divers) GN-1001N Seravee Gundam Scheherazade (Episode 23) 04.jpg|Trans-Am Seravee Gundam Scheherazade (Gundam Build Divers) Notes & Trivia *The name "Trans-Am" is a reference to the Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am, a modification package for the stock Pontiac Firebird, produced from 1969 to 2002. The upgrades included improved handling and increased horsepower, similar to how units that enter Trans-Am receive increased firepower, speed and agility. *The red shift in color while in Trans-Am, as well as the tripled power, are a homage to Char Aznable and his Zaku II. *In Super Robot Wars Z2 Hakai Hen, the song "Fight" will be played as the BGM during the Trans-Am attack of the GN Drive units, while "Daybreak's Bell" will sound during regular attacks. Though once 'Fight' is unlocked, you can change the normal track for any units to that. **In that game, Trans-Am is a high power attack that drains a sizable chunk of EN per use. **In the second Z2 game, "Fight" still plays during most Trans-Am attacks, perhaps out of the fact they weren't able to have more S2 music on the UMD. The only exception would be the 00 Raiser's Raiser Sword, in which "Trans-Am Raiser" plays. *In SD Gundam G Generation Wars, you could enable Trans-Am before moving to provide a boost in stats (and a possible drop in them after 3 turns) to the 4 main mobile suits as well as the 00 and its variants. This doesn't apply to the GN Arms-docked mobile suits. **In World/3D, Trans-Am is a high cost but powerful attack with the older function being reserved for the Ptolemaios 2 (no stat boost, but +3 movement for that turn and -3 for another), and the 00 Raiser (GN Blade II/GN Blade 3). ***In Overworld, the older function appears to be removed altogether, even for the Ptoelmaios 2/Kai. The reasons for this is unknown. *In Gundam Musou 3, most 00 units will enter into Trans-Am state whenever their musou attacks are used. In this game, Trans-Am gives similar, but slightly different effects for each mobile suit. **Also, in Dynasty Warriors: Reborn (Shin Gundam Musou), once each 00 Unit enters into the Trans-Am state, its movement speed and attack power will increase incredibly as well. *The overall purpose and history of the Trans-Am system bears a heavy resemblance to the V-MAX program used by the titular mecha of SPT Layzner which often appeared in Super Robot Wars, notably appearing with the Exia in SRW OE. (Operation Extend) Both systems were specialized programs that disabled the mecha's power regulators to dramatically increase their performance for a short time. **Coincidentally, the Exia itself heavily resembles the Layzner, only differing in design standards, due to the Layzner anime and Gundam 00 releasing 21 years apart, along with their combat roles, as the Layzner was a mid-range high-mobility mecha with a laser rifle, in comparison to the Exia's close-combat functions, which are made possible with its massive gunblade. *In Gundam Build Divers, the usability of Trans-Am is determined by the build quality of the Gunpla utilizing it. In episode 2, Riku Mikami uses his GN-0000DVR Gundam 00 Diver's Trans-Am, only for one of the GN Drives to blow out after only running for a few moments. This issue was solved when Riku improved the build of his Gunpla as hinted in episode 9. Articles & References External links Category:Anno Domini Technology